Gummadikaya Koora – Andhra Style Red Pumpkin Curry

This version of Gummadikaya Koora or Andhra StyleRed Pumpkin Curry is a great favourite in our home. In fact, we love anything to do with pumpkins: soups, salads, pies, curries…. This curry is very close to my heart because it was a particular favourite of my late mother and this is her recipe.

Making Gummadikaya Koora always reminds me of our mother-daughter moments; there were so many of them, yet so few. We used to go searching for a Gummidikaya (Lal Bhopla in Marathi or Kaddu in Hindi) that was Orange as it could be yet firm. We needed quite a bit of it as everyone at home is fond of this curry. We normally have fried Majjiga Mirapakayalu or Magai Pachadi (both Magai Perugu Pachadi and Teepi Magai Bellam Pachadi) as accompaniments).

How to Make Gummadikaya Koora – Andhra Style Red Pumpkin Curry

Ingredients

Red Pumpkin/Bhopla/Gummidikaya – 1/4 Kg

Moong Dal/Pesara Pappu – 1/2 Cup

Sesame Seeds/Til – 2 tbsp

Grated Coconut – 3 tbsp

Rice Flour – 1 tsp

Red Chillies – 4 or 5

Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp

Udad Dal – 1 tsp

Chana Dal – 1 tsp

Turmeric – 1/4 tsp

Gingelly Oil – 2 tbsp

Salt to Taste

Curry Leaves – A few

Water

Method

Preparing the Moong Dal:

Soak Moong dal in about a cup of water for an hour.

Drain the water and set the soaked Moong Dal aside.

Preparing the Pumpkin:

Peel and cube the pumpkin into 1″ cubes.

Boil about a litre of water with 1/2 tsp salt.

Add the pumpkin cubes.

Parboil the pumpkin cubes till they are just cooked.

Set aside.

Grind together sesame seeds, coconut, 2 red chillies, and rice flour into a thick smooth paste with a little water.